Well, chickadees, we did it. Habibi and I successfully made, grew and delivered another human being. Needless to say, Anouchka Talks will be silent for awhile...but not forever. :)
A brief synopsis of our baby story...
On January 6, 2014 (a record-breaking cold day), we went in to be induced at 7 am. We began the process at around 8:30 am and, throughout the rest of the day, other inducing methods were used (from prostaglandins to oxytocin to manually breaking my water) and, eventually, things really got fired up. By 5:45 pm, I was having contractions painful enough to merit an epidural, though I retained most of the feeling in my left side.
On January 7, 2014, I began "pushing" at 2:09 am. Exactly four long, rigorous hours later, we welcomed our beautiful daughter, Hulk, into the world via vacuum extractor. (The booger wouldn't budge for hours, even after she had begun crowning!!!) Delirious from exhaustion, emotions and drugs, I craned my neck to see over the medical staff in the room as they swept her away for evaluation. (As a precaution, they always call in the NICU team when a baby is delivered via plunger.) I caught a quick glimpse of a wriggly, purple mini-person before Habibi went over to meet our little nugget.
Most of my memories from the delivery room have already faded and run together, but one moment of clarity remains. I thank the Lord for that moment, and I will forever treasure it. As Habibi walked back to the bedside, I frantically asked him, "What does she look like?!?!?!"
He wiped away a single tear and responded with a simple, "Perfect."
Magic.
Our long-awaited monster had finally arrived:
Despite ravaging my body in every way imaginable, I am still in awe of her. I have a long recovery ahead of me from being torn to shreds to having my internal organs hanging exposed under very thin, sensitive, be-stretchmarked skin, but every time I look at my little girl's face, I forget about how miserable my body is.
As I think back on my pregnancy, it seems like an eternity ago. My life before getting knocked up seems as though it was lived by another person entirely. I'm in no hurry to do this again, but I'd repeat the entire journey a thousand times over for just a peek at that precious face.
A brief synopsis of our baby story...
On January 6, 2014 (a record-breaking cold day), we went in to be induced at 7 am. We began the process at around 8:30 am and, throughout the rest of the day, other inducing methods were used (from prostaglandins to oxytocin to manually breaking my water) and, eventually, things really got fired up. By 5:45 pm, I was having contractions painful enough to merit an epidural, though I retained most of the feeling in my left side.
On January 7, 2014, I began "pushing" at 2:09 am. Exactly four long, rigorous hours later, we welcomed our beautiful daughter, Hulk, into the world via vacuum extractor. (The booger wouldn't budge for hours, even after she had begun crowning!!!) Delirious from exhaustion, emotions and drugs, I craned my neck to see over the medical staff in the room as they swept her away for evaluation. (As a precaution, they always call in the NICU team when a baby is delivered via plunger.) I caught a quick glimpse of a wriggly, purple mini-person before Habibi went over to meet our little nugget.
Most of my memories from the delivery room have already faded and run together, but one moment of clarity remains. I thank the Lord for that moment, and I will forever treasure it. As Habibi walked back to the bedside, I frantically asked him, "What does she look like?!?!?!"
He wiped away a single tear and responded with a simple, "Perfect."
Magic.
Our long-awaited monster had finally arrived:
Baby Hulk
January 7, 2014 at 6:09 am
7 lbs, 12 oz
20 inches long
Despite ravaging my body in every way imaginable, I am still in awe of her. I have a long recovery ahead of me from being torn to shreds to having my internal organs hanging exposed under very thin, sensitive, be-stretchmarked skin, but every time I look at my little girl's face, I forget about how miserable my body is.
As I think back on my pregnancy, it seems like an eternity ago. My life before getting knocked up seems as though it was lived by another person entirely. I'm in no hurry to do this again, but I'd repeat the entire journey a thousand times over for just a peek at that precious face.
Imagine thinking that you are maxed out on love, only to find that another human being (and yes, she is perfect) can literally steal your heart - AND I DIDN"T EVEN HAVE TO WORK AT IT. But, I did experience some very lonely and scared hours while "my precious" worked laboriously at producing such a fine quality grand-daughter!!! I'M A GRANDMA!!!!!!!
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